Kent Johnston was hired as strength and conditioning coach and Mark Schiefelbein as vice president of football operations, the Browns announced Wednesday.

Schiefelbein, the Packers' director of football adminstration/communications, brings 20 years of NFL experience, 18 with the Packers (1992-2009) and two with the Buccaneers. A Wisconsin native who started as an intern in Green Bay in 1989, Schiefelbein has worked in public and community relations and operations.

Browns president Mike Holmgren will leave Thursday for the West Coast and spend about a week completing his move to Cleveland.

But when he returns, Holmgren will dive into Browns' roster issues and its evaluation, he said in a telephone interview Wednesday. Among his priorities will be negotating a new contract for Pro Bowl returner Joshua Cribbs, who has three years remaining on his current deal.

Playing in his native state last year for the first time since his days at Hilliard High School, Browns receiver/safety Mike Furrey was named one of three finalists Sunday for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

The 2009 award has a distinct Ohio flavor. Also selected as finalists were Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, a Cleveland native and product of Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School and John Carroll University, and Chiefs guard Brian Waters.

Four men hired to the Browns' personnel department Wednesday have ties to the Seattle Seahawks or the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Browns announced the additions of player personnel director Jon Sandusky, director of pro personnel Keith Gilbertson, personnel executive John Spytek and pro scout A.J. Durso. All either worked with new Browns president Mike Holmgren in Seattle or new general manager Tom Heckert in Philadelphia.

The best move Browns coach Eric Mangini may have made in his first season was stockpiling 11 picks for the April 22-24 NFL draft.

The uncertainty of an upcapped year in 2010 may make NFL teams hesitant to do much in free agency, which begins March 5. Unless a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached before then, 212 players (according to the Associated Press) who thought they would be unrestricted free agents will now be restricted. That group includes the Browns' Abe Elam, Brodney Pool, Jerome Harrison, Lawrence Vickers, D'Qwell Jackson and Matt Roth.

New Browns' president Mike Holmgren was surrounded by his right-hand men Tuesday -- coach Eric Mangini, general manager Tom Heckert and executive VP of business operations Bryan Wiedmeier -- and Holmgren seemed thrilled by the lineup.

''The decisions this organization makes going forward will be handled by these fellas right here,'' Holmgren said. ''I trust them. I believe in them. They're good football people. Responsibilities will be defined.

Browns president Mike Holmgren said any changes in assistant coaches would be up to Eric Mangini.

Holmgren was speaking on a conference call for the first time since he decided to retain Mangini Thursday. The only coach who won't be back at the present is receivers coach George McDonald, who was hired by Rutgers last week.

Browns Pro Bowl returner Joshua Cribbs took his contract demands to ESPN's Bristol, Conn. campus Monday, but didn't blast his team for its lowball offer of $1.4 million per year in an appearance on ''First Take.''

Asked by host Jay Crawford, a lifelong Browns fan, if he had a number in mind, Cribbs said, ''It's fair market value. I don't want to speak in terms of money.''

Seattle Seahawks director of pro personnel Will Lewis interviewed for the Browns' general manager position Friday, a team spokesman confirmed.

Lewis, 51, came to Seattle with new Browns president Mike Holmgren in 1999 and has worked there for 10 years in his current position. Lewis has spent over 12 years with Holmgren, including more than two years in Green Bay.

Upset with the Browns' offer to renegotiate his contract at $1.4 million per year, Pro Bowl returner Joshua Cribbs will spend the day at ESPN's Connecticut campus Monday.

Cribbs will appear on a variety of ESPN programs, which could include Mike & Mike in the Morning, First Take, Outside the Lines, The Scott Van Pelt Show, The Doug Gottlieb Show, NFL Live, SportsCenter and ESPNEWS.

Browns Pro Bowl returner Joshua Cribbs cleaned out his locker Thursday and said good-bye to employees at the Browns' Berea headquarters, his agent J.R. Rickert said.

Cribbs and his agents, Rickert and Peter Schaffer, were insulted by the Browns' contract offer of $1.4 million per year, first extended on Dec. 4 and re-offered after new president Mike Holmgren came on board Dec. 21. The Cribbs' camp has been dealing with Dawn Aponte, vice president of football administration.

Browns receiver Joshua Cribbs was named AFC special teams player of the month for December and January, the NFL announced. Cribbs was recently named to his second Pro Bowl as the conference's kick returner.

In December and January, Cribbs returned 17 kickoffs for a 31.0 average with touchdowns of 100 and 103 yards. With those two TDs at Kansas City, he became the second player in league history to return two for scores of at least 100 yards in a single game.

* BROWNIES: Holmgren said Randy Lerner was not at the Tuesday press conference because "The owner was going to be here, but he got trapped, He could not travel because of the weather."... Accompaning Holmgren at the press conference Tuesday was his wife Kathy and agent Bob LaMonte.

There may not be any news yet on the future of Browns head coach Eric Mangini Tuesday, but the team's fans will be relieved to know there is progress being made on another important front.Before new president Mike Holmgren even made his way to Cleveland this week, he'd already begun to reach out to Cribbs' agent to open talks about negotiating a new contract for the kick returner extraordinaire.Cribbs, seeking a new contract despite still having three years remaining on his current six-year deal signed under his previous agent, had indicated as much two weeks ago.

And while Holmgren admitted that "it's a little unprecedented to start doing things this early in a (lengthy) contract like that," he obviously understands the Pro Bowler is one of the top players not only for the Browns, but league wide as well."We've been in contact with his representatives, even when I was in Arizona," Holmgren said. "I believe players should be rewarded for what they do...What happens though on occasion is that our view of how much that should be and the agent's view of how much that should be, differ."We have made an effort and we'll continue to make an effort to handle Josh's situation. I want Josh here."

Mike Holmgren was officially introduced to the Cleveland-area media Tuesday, but he did not have the answer to the question so many folks have been dying to hear: Is Browns head coach Eric Mangini one-and-done ?

Holmgren said he has not had a chance yet to sit and speak with Mangini at length, and thus will try to have that important meeting Wednesday and then an answer on Mangini's fate by the end of the week.

Former Browns coach Romeo Crennel is expected to the NFL next season as defensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported, citing multiple sources.

The Chiefs are run by former New England personnel chief Scott Pioli, where Crennel served as defensive coordinator before coming to Cleveland in 2005. Schefter said the Chiefs wanted to hire Crennel for the 2009 season, but his hip surgery precluded that.

Browns rookie linebacker David Veikune was placed on injured reserve and running back Thomas Brown was promoted from the practice squad Saturday.

Veikune, the 52nd overall pick from Hawaii, found the transition slow from college defensive end to inside linebacker and spent five games on the inactive list, including the last three. He did not record a tackle on defense or special teams.